“Racial discrimination in college inhibits cultural progress” by Cassie Rudd

After the 2010 U.S. Census, the demographic of Portland was deemed to be one of the “whitest major cities in the country,” a concept exemplified in a 2011 article in The Oregonian by Nikole Hannah-Jones.
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Historically, the reason for Oregon’s Wonder Bread quality has been primarily attributed to the Jekyll-and-Hyde-ness of the state’s outlawing of slavery in the Civil War, because the state outlawed slavery, but still banned blacks from moving to the Beaver State.
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This is truly upsetting. College is supposed to be a time and place in which you get to explore the world and your options in it. It’s a time to discover and understand the great pluralism of it. It’s when we should hopefully be forming a healthy appreciation for the varied places we inhabit. College is supposed to have the “level playing field” that Sy Stokes of UCLA talks about in his video.
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And if [college] simply imitates society’s standards of preference and superficiality, it cuts itself off at the knees and keeps the negatives of society recirculating in a vicious cycle of failure.

The Daily Barometer
Oregon State University

“Award shows should not determine what is ‘best’” by Danni Wang

During past awards seasons, I’d fill out my brackets for best actor, actress, songstress and television show hopefuls. It would be a year long study of the material and Metacritic statistics filled with disappointments and career resurges affecting my predictions. The best strategy? Pick Meryl Streep for everything. She’s first-draft.
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This year, however, my excitement for finding out these superlative outcomes began to diminish. … Often times, I watch movies or listen to songs simply because they win “Best Picture” or “Best Album.” Because of this, I’ve lost, or never gained, the ability to self-discern.
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It is as if award shows capitalize on the celebrity of the artists rather than the art itself. Instead of focusing on an incognito performance a particular actor or actress gave, the spotlight is on the star factor of the performer themselves. Acceptance speeches become the mascot for the performance rather than letting the work reach out and speak to the audience itself.

The Daily Trojan
University of Southern California

“A love-hate relationship with the FCC: Are corporation or government agencies better guardians of freedom?” by Ian Cameron

I seek to argue that the FCC is worth more trust than the NSA … that is, an amount greater than zero. And if net neutrality matters, then the FCC is currently the only body capable of keeping it intact.
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Why trust the FCC? … Because we have no alternative. Monopolistic ISPs cannot be trusted to treat consumers well.
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Long-term, perhaps an agency dedicated solely to the Internet and the World Wide Web, with a brand-new Internet communications charter or act to enforce, would be justified — I certainly believe that. But such a solution would require much political might, and new government funds in the sequester era are hard to find. So until then, the glorious Federal Communications Commission is what we have to ensure that Comcast won’t force Reed Hastings to charge us more for unlimited “Star Trek: The Next Generation” repeats. What a beautiful world.

The Daily
University of Washington